For about a year or so now I have been totally enchanted by Donna Salazars work with reclaimed denim from her headbands and hand made flowers and embellishments.

Recently I found a 50c clothing section in one of my local op shops and scored 3 pairs of jeans. One was so lovely with embroidered pockets when I discovered they would fit a friend I told her they were hers until they fell appart then they were mine lol. It was a bit of a wrench to part with them because there is the most adorable little embroidered pocket on the front.

Anyway I have pulled appart and cut up one of the pairs and when I got my New Big Shot this week (thanks to an amazing and generous friend) I did some cutting out of the denim and played a bit with some embossing and Inking.

What I have learned is that Denim is a great canvas for ink, it embosses like a dream and is quite a versatile medium.

Steel rule dies are the best to cut through the fabric however as long as you do not mind having to do a little cutting, the thin metal dies work pretty well.

I used a combination of Quickutz and M Press Dies for this album as well as one of the reclaimed denim pockets:

I decorated the pocket to match the Album cover with an M-Press Heart that had been embossed with a Cuttlebug Script folder.

The album is cut from the Quickutz Santa’s Workshop Die Set, I used part of the elastic stretch section of the Jeans as a sort of Handle, all the pages are embossed with an M Press Butterflies embossing folder and then inked over.

and from the back:

The Inside Pages: have spaces added for small photos with more quickutz dies, and random stickers and rub ons from my stash.(not sure of the stickers but the rub ons are from Kaiser Sweet Nothings and bon jour)

I also cut out two pieces of denim for each page though honestly it was quite a sturdy denim and would have been fine as indavidual pages. I used OK to wash it glue to stick it all together, MM Crystal brads to hold it all together

and thats it one Denim Mini Album stored in a Denim Pocket. I may end up cutting out a word from Denim and adding it to the pocket just to tie it all together a little better.

Can you believe it just about a year and a half ago I started this blog spurred on by what was the final 12 tags of Christmas 2011.

It felt like any other post would not quite fit this rather special occasion. After all it started with 12 tags and so my 150th post (and believe me I have been putting off posting some other projects to make it so) is my Mixed Media Journal Pages for april as always based on the Maestro Tim Holtz’s Tag

Now as usual I was missing a rather major component of this tag this month. No distress paints as yet. However I had an idea and it all started with the dragonfly.

The dragonfly was actually done in stages the first being the wire wings. I used the Tattered Angels Dragonfly stamp and made wire frames using the cover piece that is printed and wire, when I was happy with my wire work (it was never going to be an exact match) I then covered the frames in fantasy film (there are different types of this the one I used is sort of like a cellophane that you crinkle to get pretty shimmery effects).
You then heat it the more you heat it the less the shimmer shows but the more you get some cool melted spots and holes. I did quite a few layers wrapped around and around to get mine to look like they do.

Then I beaded the body with swarovski beads (from ebay before you go but she is a on a budget I lucked out and got them very cheaply). Then attatched it with yet more wire to the wings ( you twist them all together then wire the beads over the center).

I then decided to try stamping each wing with the dragonfly stamp I think it turned out pretty well (though I would suggest doing this before you put your dragonfly together).

I then stamped the body on a small piece of Manila cs and fussy cut it. I tried it plain but was not feeling it so added in the watch parts for my cogs and gears steam punk style element and that is how I got my funky dragon fly.

After I had been working on my background a bit and when I had used some expresso paint dabber on the watch parts I also ran it over the dragonfly for more of a distressed grungy look. I also rubbed over a little crushed soft charcoal.

the dragonfly really was the inspiration for my page. I saw Tim’s and have done the acetate type thing before and being me was like how can I make mine a bit different. I have been working with Fantasy film making butterflies for my Happiness Jar Decorating Kits (will do a blog about the kits soon) and was like Bingo.

Here is the page:

I did distress stains on Ranger Manila cs. For the background and also inked over it with a mix of tea dye, vintage photo and walnut stain (the holy trinity for a true aged distress look). I also rubbed over some crushed soft willow charcoal (it is so hard to explain what it does but it really adds another element to your distress)

Added in the tissue tape Nostaligic and inked over it with tea dye just to tone it in a little.

Then I will be honest I got stuck. I had no real idea about what I wanted to do next. I had my dragonfly stamped where I wanted it. The background pages done, the Journaling book pages inked so it all toned together but not a clue as to what I even wanted to do next so I left it alone for almost a week.

Tonight the damn burst and my mojo was in full swing as I pulled out some stamps ( two sets Air Travel and Urban Tapestry)

I used the big map stamp all over my background inked with picket fence distress stain. I really love how this looked over the background.

I then used my favorite brilliance ink Coffee Bean (I really need to get a re-inker for mine I use it so much) and used the ticket stamp and stamped bits of it over the page.

I then did the same with the Ink splatter stamp.

Used the compass stamp and embossed it in gold. Liked it so much I used the ink splatter stamp in some spots and embossed them in gold as well.

Added in the quote stamp which did not stamp perfectly but I kinda like that it didn’t it fits the whole grungy vintage vibe.

Added in the corner flourishes in black from yet another set of Tim Stamps (not sure of the name they are clear acrylic ones from ages ago).

Then thought about what else I could do. Went to my Tim/Ranger embellishment box and found some Alpha cards and thought ooooh so cut out the letters for April, inked them in tea dye and that is it.

Aprils Mixed Media Journal pages broken down and completed.

I have been having so much fun doing Mixed Media Journaling for the tags this year. Not only am I getting to play with the new techniques that we get each month (or improvising when I do not have the stuff to use) but I get to stretch my mixed media skills and I really love just getting to fool around and play.

If you haven’t guessed it yet I am a crazy fly by the seat of my pants crafter it is very rare for me to plan what I am doing I just tend to flow and hope I get something good out of it.

Have to say I am so pleased with how these pages turned out. It was so much fun to go from a pristine shimmery dragonfly to a steampunk grungy vintage type one still with some of the irradecence.

And so we come to the end of this amazing Milestone. For anyone who has been taking my creative journey with me I appreciate you visiting.

I love hearing your comments on my work and enjoy being inspired by you all.

I considered my options for this year, after doing the wee coasters last year I just wanted more room. One of the things I really want to get better at is mixed media art journaling and what better way to do this than to turn each tag for 2013 into a mixed media project, not only this but I was given a gorgeous art journal last year which is perfect so not only will I be using inspiration from Tim each month but also want to create my own page next to it as well the aim is a double page for each month with one incorporating techniques or elements of Tim’s original tag.

What excited me about this months is I already owned a lot of the elements, in the case of the quote stamp mine is the smaller version, and the pointing finger is a wood mounted one I got from Tattered Inspirations (though I did get the stamp set with it in it for Christmas).

So let me show you my page then I will tell you how it was done.

it is funny looking back at the process I took because the colours I added really don’t all show through though there are a few small spots where a little teeny bit does.

I started off by cutting a piece of manilla from a folder. I then embossed it with the same clock texture fade that was used by Tim.

I then smeared over impasto (which dries an opaque whitish clear its great because if you mix paint with it it will dry the colour mixed in and stay true to that paint colour so great for stencilling with), over the whole thing so as to allow some of the embossing to show through but to blur other bits, I then adheared chipboard cogs and gears both the boarder ones and the normal ones cut from thin chipboard. I smooshed mine into the wet impasto, then I smeared them with more to get the same sort of blurred effect.

Left it overnight to dry and then covered it in two layers of snow cap paint dabber. If you have modelling paste you can skip this step.

Then I played with some colour washes mostly in stream, butterscotch, cranberry, and purple twilight (I know I know you don’t see them now)

then I dried it all with my heat gun and did that till i was happy, then I inked over that with bundled sage and a bunch of other colours. Then I added some vintage photo and walnut stain distress inks, played with a bit of the water swish and flick and such and then smeared multi medium matt over it all and the result was the mottled browns you now see.

Then I was stuck what did I want to do next so again I left it overnight and looked at it with fresh eyes.

I got a big pack of American Crafts Metallic Markers today from my Local spotlight. So I used the gold and went over some of the embossing, also used it to outline my cogs and to then to colour in my butterfly used the pink and green and of course it would not be one of my pages without a little bling.

Then I got out a couple of Tim’s texture stamps that I received for christmas and the black archival ink and stamped a little texture on there.

The rest was fairly simple I coloured the wooden finger with butterscotch colour wash, and used a couple of thin layers of snow cap paint dabber that I smeared with my finger.

Tore some Kraft CS and inked the edges with vintage photo and walnut stain, stamped the quote and then repeated the same inking on some manila but also inked over the manila so that it was turned brown.

Stamped some crinkle ribbon with a hero arts clock background stamp, used wild honey stain to colour it. Added in some watch parts, and the hardest bit used thin strips of metal found insidesome of the watch parts with some magic tape that I cut thinly by sticking the metal bits down on the tap and trimming it added in my game spinner and mini cog.

And viola my first Mixed Media Page of 2013. It is nice to actually have so much of what was used for a change. Though I would always want to do my take or spin on what is done and not necessarily use every element or tweak it to what my stash contains. I am super excited to see where this journey leads me this year.

PS You may ask why not tags? I have nothing against tags at all. To be honest last year I did the coasters to be different and so I would have a lovely piece of wall art, this year I am doing a mixed media journal so I will again have a momento of this year of creativity plus I truly want to learn and stretch myself in mixed media this year. Plus yes I do like to be different and do something that not everyone else is doing 😉

Wow this year has flown by. Just one more coaster for me to catch up on and I will be done. Though you will have to wait a bit for the big reveal I am really excited at how it is all coming together.

I have been having some issues with my cb. So have to say I was super happy to find some pre cut mirror stickers which I used on this tag at a local cheapie shop, add in festive Berries and Evergreen Bough distress inks, some rock candy stickles, tissue tape, trim roses, Smooch spritz in golden glow, an angel die cut, some silver tinsel trim, and a festive chit chat sticker and viola you have my December coaster

So my first challenge was that I do not own the foil sheets, I did however some time ago find foil tape on ebay super cheap and have a roll of that. Yes its skinnier and took longer to cover the coaster, it also seems to scratch up easier.

Or perhaps that was my use of a green scourer rather than steel wool ( which I do not have any of at present).

It is quite funny actually I had such a different idea for my coaster originally. However I could not find my victorian Lady stamp and as I was looking I found the free stamp it stamp I was given at Artful Flight. Funny how that happens. I pulled out some white corrugated cardboard (purchased yesterday from a local cheapie shop), my little container of watch parts and just played.

I truly did not have a set idea in mind once I realised I could not find the stamp I wanted. So I really did just get inky and play.

The only thing I did differently with my background is after I scrubbed off some of the alcohol ink I also added a layer of Black Paint dabber then scratched it off using a paddle pop stick.

So enough rambling I am so excited to share my coaster with you all (the butterflies are mulberry paper ones I alcohol inked and then spritzed with a homemade pearl mist)

The quote is very Apt “Where the spirit does not work with the hand there is no art” Leonardo Da Vinci

Here is Tim’s Tag for this month, and I have to be honest it both excited and scared me. Though I had a lot of fun doing my coaster this month. (click image to be taken to the post and how to’s). (Moved so I can pin my coaster to pintrest)